Prince William makes impassioned plea to save endangered species

Bangkok
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Representatives of 177 countries gathering in Bangkok for the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species, (CITES), received support, yesterday, from Prince William, Duke of Cambridge, second in line to the British Crown.

In doing so, Prince William gave the strongest hint yet that as well as eventually succeeding to the British throne he is ready to assume his father, Prince Charles’ ‘green’ credentials.

In a video released by CITES, Prince William advocated better protection for rhinoceros and elephants. According to The Guardian, despite protection measures, record numbers of rhinos were slain in South Africa in 2012 and there has been no let up in the illegal trade for rhino horn and ivory.

Prince William calls for representatives of the 177 countries assembled at CITES to adopt ambitious measures to better protect animal species, saying, "As we enter 2013, the world's natural resources are under threat as never before. We know from the data and analysis presented to this meeting that the illegal killing of the African elephant and rhino, and the related illegal trade in their ivory and horn, has reached shocking levels in the past few years,”

adding,

"We must do more to combat this serious crime if we are to reverse the current alarming trends. If not, we could soon see some populations of these creatures, or even an entire species, disappear from the wild. We simply must not let this catastrophe unfold. Our children should have the same opportunity that we have to experience wildlife in its many beautiful and varied forms."

The Duke of Cambridge’ message was broadcast to around 2,000 delegates assembled in Bangkok for the tri-annual CITES conference which lasts until March 14, reports the Huffington Post.

The illegal hunting of elephants and rhinos is just part of a broad-ranging agenda. Other subjects due to be discussed by delegates include threats to certain sharks and rays and how deforestation in unique environments like Madagascar threatens extinction of many species of wildlife.